Welcome to the 2019 Fantasy Baseball Week 19 Pitching Planner!
The New York Yankees are absolutely crushing. They haven’t lost since my last post and hold a double-digit lead in the AL East. Wow. Since the trade deadline, it seems like the teams at the top of their divisions are pulling away from the rest of the pack, while those at the bottom seem to drop further and further. Let’s take a look at what else is going on in baseball:
Around The League
- The Los Angeles Angels and Miami Marlins are on exactly the opposite path. They haven’t won since my last post and continue to fall down the power rankings.
- Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros are division leaders in the rest of the AL, with Houston adding a six-game win streak of their own. The Twins are still sitting two-games above the Indians in the AL Central, as the Indians look to try and go on a tear of their own (two-game win streak at the moment).
- In the NL there’s the Los Angeles Dodgers and then everybody else. The Atlanta Braves hold a six-game lead over the Nationals in a surprisingly competitive division lately. Watch out for the New York Mets making a push late in the season, finding themselves among a six-game winning streak themselves.
- The Chicago Cubs are three-games atop the NL Central, continuing to hold off the Brewers for the division lead, as the Pirates and Reds fall more and more out of contention.
Hot Teams (8-2 or better over the last 10)
New York Yankees, Houston Astros, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers
Cold Teams (2-8 or worse over the last 10)
Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates
Golden Rosin Bag
Jack Flaherty, St Louis Cardinals
Dude has been on a tear. He hasn’t given up an earned run in his last 14 innings pitched. In that time he is 1-0 with 19 strikeouts. Very impressive from the young right-hander and I guy I am looking for in 2020.
2019 Fantasy Baseball Week 19 Pitching Planner
Two Start Pitchers
| Pitcher | Start 1 | Start 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Clevinger, CLE | vs BOS | @ NYY |
| Gerrit Cole, HOU | @ CHW | @ OAK |
| Domingo German, NYY | vs BAL | vs CLE |
| Clayton Kershaw, LAD | @ MIA | @ ATL |
| Zack Greinke, HOU | @ CHW | @ OAK |
| Lance Lynn, TEX | @ TOR | vs MIN |
| Zack Wheeler, NYM | @ ATL | @ KC |
| Eduardo Rodriguez, BOS | @ CLE | vs BAL |
| James Paxton, NYY | vs BAL | vs CLE |
| Max Fried, ATL | vs NYM | vs LAD |
| Jack Flaherty, STL | @ KC | @ CIN |
| Zach Plesac, CLE | vs BOS | @ NYY |
| Jose Quintana, CHC | @ PHL | @ PIT |
| Zac Gallen, ARI | @ COL | vs SF |
| Joey Lucchesi, SD | vs TB | @ PHI |
| Jordan Yamamoto, MIA | vs LAD | @ COL |
| Alex Wood, CIN | @ WAS | vs STL |
| Brendan McKay, TB | @ SD | vs DET |
| Mike Leake, ARI | @ COL | vs SF |
| Martin Perez, MIN | @ MIL | @ TEX |
| Anthony DeSclafani, CIN | @ WAS | vs STL |
| Jason Vargas, PHI | vs CHC | vs SD |
| Dylan Cease, CHW | vs HOU | @ LAA |
| Trevor Williams, PIT | @ LAA | vs CHC |
| Brett Anderson, OAK | @ SF | vs HOU |
| John Means, BAL | @ NYY | @ BOS |
| Yusei Kikuchi, SEA | @ DET | @ TOR |
| Ivan Nova, CHW | vs HOU | @ LAA |
| Ariel Jurado, TEX | @ TOR | vs MIN |
| Peter Lambert, COL | vs ARI | vs MIA |
| Joe Ross, WAS | vs CIN | vs MIL |
| Shaun Anderson, SF | vs OAK | @ ARI |
| Dillon Peters, LAA | vs PIT | vs CHW |
| Jose Suarez, LAA | vs PIT | vs CHW |
| Aaron Brooks, BAL | @ NYY | @ BOS |
Since when did there get to be so many “Zack’s” or “Zach’s” or “Zac’s” relevant in fantasy baseball? Man, four of them owned in over 80% of CBS leagues, and each pitching well.
I love the starts for the Astros in Week 19. Start them with confidence if you have them.
Pitchers To Stream
Brendan McKay, Tampa Bay Rays
Faces the Padres on the road and home against the Tigers in Week 19. McKay is coming off a loss at home against Toronto, but he is a better pitcher than he is showing. The left-hander has five or more strikeouts in each of his last four starts, and I think he has a solid week ahead. Grab him if you can.
Aaron Sanchez, Houston Astros
Sanchez was excellent in his last start against the Mariners at home on August 3rd. He had six strikeouts while not allowing an earned run. The Astros have been hitting well lately also and I have liked the swing-and-miss stuff Sanchez has displayed over his last few. I’d give him a try this week.
Dustin May, Los Angeles Dodgers
Slated to take on the Miami Marlins at home. He had seven strikeouts in his last outing and has shown enormous potential. Ross Stripling‘s injury helped his playing time so take full advantage while you can.
Pitchers To Avoid
Max Fried, Atlanta Braves
I don’t like the matchups here.
Fried is coming off a nice win at Minnesota where he struck out 10 batters on 94 pitches for his 13th win of the season. In Week 19 he gets the hot Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers at home. Fried does have good strikeout potential, but the Atlanta bullpen has been rocky and the teams he is facing are playing great ball. His ERA is sitting at 4.11 and I’d be cautious, to say the least.
Eduardo Rodriguez, Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox have been awful. There is no easy way to say it, they stink! He takes on Cleveland on the road and then is home against Baltimore. He has an ERA over four, but I don’t have confidence in him this week. The Indians have something to play for, and the Orioles can score in bunches.
Caleb Smith, Miami Marlins
I like Caleb. I think he has enormous potential.
He faces the Dodgers in Week 19, on the road. The Marlins have the third-lowest win total on the road in baseball, and Smith has had slight control issues lately. I’m keeping him on the bench and looking to the future for his Cy Young trophy.
A Little Relief
Kyle Ryan of the Chicago Cubs has my eye this week. He has dual eligibility and the Cubs bullpen is closer by committee with Kimbrel on the shelf for a while. Ryan has four saves + holds over the past 14 days, while not allowing an earned run along with seven strikeouts. This is a number’s game call, but intriguing nonetheless.
Seth Lugo and Michael Lorenzen are a few others to look for going forward.
That’s it for this week. Until next time!
Click here to read the Week 19 Hitting Planner
